Climatic Responses of Terrestrial and Marine Systems during MIS 5: an Interdisciplinary Approach

The Late Pleistocene of Northern Eurasia remains a subject of active scientific debate, particularly in the context of climate change. This study presents a palaeoenvironmental analysis for the interval of Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5 (approximately 130 to 70 ka), including the first warming phase of interglacial rank. Special attention is given to a detailed study of the Voka key section on the south-eastern coast of the Gulf of Finland. This section is remarkable for the completeness of its geological and palaeontological record, which allows a deeper understanding of the Late Pleistocene palaeogeographic history, especially during the latter half of MIS 5. Climatic and stratigraphic analysis was carried out using the palynological method, while the chronological framework of palaeoclimatic events was established by infrared optically stimulated luminescence (IR-OSL) dating. This allowed the dynamics of the first Late Pleistocene warming of interglacial rank to be traced, correlating with the Mikulino interglacial in the Eastern European Plain. Comparison of the results with electron spin resonance (ESR) dating of mollusc shells from palaeoshelf deposits in climatically highly sensitive regions of Eurasian North confirmed the synchronicity of major palaeogeographic events in both terrestrial and marine ecosystems during MIS 5. Our interdisciplinary research provides new data that contribute to reconstructions of Late Pleistocene palaeogeographic events and refine our understanding of climate dynamics during MIS 5.